FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The elusive quarterback drops back, throws the ball more than half the football field and watches the receiver catch it near the goal line.
Michael Vick 2005?
How about Doug Flutie 1984?
That's the year Flutie won the Heisman Trophy — helped by his rollout 48-yard scoring pass to Gerard Phelan that beat Miami 47-45 the day after Thanksgiving. Now the former Boston College star who heaved that ball 63 yards is two weeks shy of his 43rd birthday and marvels at Vick's athletic ability.
"He can do some things that just make you shake your head," Flutie said Wednesday.
The veteran of the USFL, CFL and NFL will be backing up pocket passer Tom Brady on Sunday when the New England Patriots (2-2) try to rebound from a 41-17 loss to San Diego as they visit the Atlanta Falcons (3-1). Flutie's job this week is to play the role of Vick in practice.
Vick is expected to start after a mild ligament sprain in his right knee knocked him out of last Sunday's 30-10 win over Minnesota. He is listed as probable.
Flutie's job this week is to play the role of Vick in practice so the Patriots defense has a better chance of stopping a player who, at times, seems unstoppable.
"I think it's actually easier for me to simulate him than it would be a Peyton Manning," Flutie said, "but you can't do it to the full extent. You can't stand there flat-footed and sling the thing 65, 70 yards off your back foot, or when you take off and run.
In the Falcons 14-10 season-opening win over Philadelphia, Vick threw a 58-yard completion to Michael Jenkins that set up their first touchdown and ran for 68 yards and the other touchdown. Vick is one reason that Atlanta leads the NFL in rushing with 209 yards per game.
"I've got a little bit of a burst but I can't run a 4.2 (40-second dash) that's for darn sure," Flutie said. "You see guys on film just take the wrong angle on him all the time because he's so fast. He's got a little extra in his step. They know he's fast, but you don't know how fast until you watch him in person."
Take away his yardage and the Falcons still would be second with 151 yards per game. Only San Diego, which rushed for 183 yards against the Patriots, would have more.
Atlanta's biggest running threat is Warrick Dunn, who leads the NFL with 5.6 yards per carry. Now that he has developed into an all-around quarterback who can read defenses and make good decisions, he's "scary," Flutie said.
"He's amazing," the 42-year-old scrambler said. "When he decides to turn it on, he turns it on."